From the greats in the game to Ashley “Greedy Tweedy” Cole, everyone is having their say about the appointment of Michel Platini as the new head of UEFA. From watching Sky Sports News there is a massive contrast.

The majority of people who sent in texts and emails to be read by the newsreaders during the day supported Platini and many within the game did not. Here is the reason why:

Platini wants to take a place away from Italy, Germany, Spain and England in the champion’s league.

I personally think he will not have an easy ride with this election pledge as the G14 (oh what a wonderful body that is representing football on a wider scale) will move itself to block proposals. Alex Ferguson has “warned” Platini against changing the format of the cup, saying its fine as it is and the competition gets exciting when the big clubs come up against one another from the big countries. That’s completely fair isn’t it? Oh Man Utd would be down £500,000 or so if the champions of a lesser league were allowed to rightfully be in the competition. Oh woe is them. Seriously, what is he going to do? He can either help to utilise the G14 or just shut up. The arrogance of his comments about the big teams coming up against one another really has annoyed me. I personally think the champions league should be a knockout competition with the top sides and at a push the 2nd placed sides and no one else but that’s completely impractical as more games equals more money and that more money goes to the big sides that Ferguson loved to talk about so much yesterday. Also don’t forget Ferguson said that the competition only really starts in February, the knockout stage so is that a call to get rid of the group stage? Well not for him as he then goes on to say that its fine as it is. Make your mind up ol' red nose.

Funny how the people of the general public supported the idea of a fairer competition that could lead to mismatches but then again could provide FA Cup style shocks. Ashley Cole though said it would be a shame for the fans and that is was a bad idea. Obviously I am not an Arsenal fan but Cole is a dick who’s opinion I do not rate at all after the whole debacle of his move and his “book”.

The salary cap idea I think will be tested elsewhere, most likely in a newer league like the Bulgarian league. I say that because it’s too late for England. The Premiership is too far imbedded for such upheaval and while a salary cap promotes a fairer playing level for everyone it will be impractical to enforce. No one will want it (Gareth Southgate has already come out and say it wont work) and a number of clubs will be in big trouble in trying to fit into the new cap bracket if enforced.

Platini’s election victory has really shaken things up and good luck to him. Just ban Uriah Rennie from football anywhere and I will be happy.

“Regarding crowds in the late 40’s I was among many fans2 locked out of several full grounds, despite holding around 70,000 fans.

Why cant we have safe, convertible standing areas as in some of the wonderful Bundsliga stadiums saving the vast millions being spent on new grounds seeking increased capacity.

It will also solve the increasing problem of many present fans standing.”

R Potter, Ilford.

For the majority of this comment from Ceefax page 359 on BBC, I agree. Not every old ground could hold 70,000 but many times throughout history people have been turned away and many stories can be told about jumping walls and standing on creates. Anyway an answer to the problem of standing for me is to introduce particular sections of the ground for people who want to stand and another answer is the one suggested. Stand Up Sit Down is a great organisation that is fighting with the different organisations to open a debate on the subject and to allow freedom of choice. Their website is:

http://www.standupsitdown.co.uk

And I suggest you have a goosy gander. They have much more information on what I have briefly touched on Anyway onto another topic, Lucas Neill signing. Call me bias and all that entails but Liverpool’s comments rebuking what Neill said in his press conference should be the end of the matter and for Liverpool to respond in such a way might make them look bitter about the whole matter. I am very pleased he has signed for us and will prove to be a solid right back and the best we have fielded there in five attempts (Dailly, Newton, Spector, Mears and Paintsil). Before I start to retread old ground Alan Curbishley talking about Matthew Upson on Sky Sports News is very interesting. Alan has stated that West Hams interest in the player is there and it is up to Birmingham what they do. He went on to say that if Birmingham closes the door on the matter then interest from West Ham would go elsewhere. Obviously Curbishley wants a centre back so at least one more player will be coming in before the transfer window closes.

Watford in the cup on Saturday will see me, my granddad and friend Steve (who really needs converting from the side he follows) watching us play and I think to build momentum and a better team understanding, we should field a first choice defence, but with Mark Noble playing in midfield to give us some bite and to ensure no injuries.

Two more (unWest Ham related) matters now. Since the England manager said that he wanted the under 21 role to be full time, Peter Taylor has been on borrowed time and with his stepping down today, the under 21’s have lost a great manager. Obviously he can now focus on his commitments with Crystal Palace and the rumours of Stuart Pearce being employed to fill the role are nonsense for the reason stated previously. Sammy Lee looks to be a good bet for the job.

And finally, how much more lucky can you get then Spurs in the UEFA Cup? From the matches I have seen and the score lines, no team has given them a proper contest so far (either due to lack of quality of lack of playing on the day) and now they could have a bye to the next round if the decision to throw Feynoord out of the cup is upheld. And on that note goodbye.

Anyone who knows me and anyone who has read this blog will know my opinion about Uriah Rennie. Before Saturday he was an incompetent show pony who craves the centre of attention. After Saturday he is an incompetent, blind show pony that got the attention he craved. It could be down to the fact that other black refs are not trained to a high enough standard but Uriah’s constant use in the top flight of football looks only to be tokenism. After so many blunders, so much arrogance and a weight problem on a level with Frank Lampard, his use in the football league as a referee is wrong, plain wrong.

Despite Rennie’s best attempts, there was a game of football going on. That first half from West Ham was brilliant. We looked so solid in our shape and formation, sure of tackle and passing and looked like we were not breaking a sweat against a demoralised Newcastle. Then came Rennies moment in the sun, ignoring his linesman and giving a goal which goes against the altered laws on offside in relation to either being passive or active. That goal obviously unsettled us and Newcastle came out for the second half with great impetus and won the penalty which was a real shot in the foot from us. After the goal there was a short period of shakiness from us and then the game opened up much more with both sides having chances (Newcastle the greater amount). Two goals scored away from home, great! Not keeping the lead, bad. A point is a point and its one closer to survival and that counts. Davenport looked assured and solid which could prove to be a great signing for Curbishley in the end, only time will tell but from first looks he is hard to unsettle and confident enough in his play. Quashie's distribution was good and the midfield looked better for it with Reo-Coker playing like he gave a shit. A shit about what only time will tell.

Onto todays double signing. Neill has come in from Blackburn on a massive pay deal and Kepa the striker from Seville. I know sweet F.A about Kepa so can only wish him good luck but from the interview Neill gave to an Australian newspaper, the theory I applied to us potentially signing Lauren from Arsenal (who decided on going south to play for Portsmouth) has been used on Neill. In his interview he talk about being sold on the future of the club and the potential signings we want to make. Well unless, and to use his words here, he is blown away by Quashie and Davenport then there is more to come from the club so it’s a case of wait and see…..

It’s been a while but here is my second half report on the Newcastle game:








There you go. The lure of Celebrity Big Brother was too much and I spent the time flicking between the two. Well after the sending off that turned into a bit of a spanking which will have Newcastle smarting and wanting even more so to put it behind them by beating us.

I have not commented on the two forums I usually post on about the signing of Davenport as I wanted to think about it and now I have thought of it I feel he is a solid enough buy. He has played for Spurs on and off in his time at White Hart Lane so the premiership is not exactly a new experience and Davenport also has a trait we desperately needed. He is good in the air. Due to injuries to Collins, Ferdinand and Gabbidon, we can now field a centre back that can deal with the ariel threat and also play the ball solidly enough. Davenports signing has not set the world alight but I think it’s a good signing for the situation we are in at the moment and he has been saying all the right things. On face value, that can only endear him to the fans.

Tonight I read that Feyenoord has been thrown out of the UEFA Cup due to the violence that took place at the UEFA group match at French club Nancy. Now they have been thrown out, what’s to happen to Tottenham who were meant to be playing them? Unless the forth placed team in Feyenoord’s UEFA Cup group is reinstated (which I don’t think will happen) then Spurs face a bye to the next round. Lucky bastards.

Man Utd have made another bid for Owen Haregreaves and on his new BBC page, he has gushed about how much an honour such a bid is. Keep in mind he wanted to go to Man Utd in the summer and he was wanted in Manchester, only for Bayern to refuse. I can see this transfer going ahead but not now, the summer will be when he moves (unless I am proved wrong which mostly likely will happen).

And now for something ground breaking… I am going to type about something that isn’t football! Now I have kept quite over what happened in the Ashes and everything else involved with the tour to Australia as it was depressing for the most of it but when I read that Darren Gough was told he was out of England plans for the upcoming Cricket World Cup by text and Geraint Jones’s wife looked online to find the same result as Darren then I was a bit dumbfounded. What ever happened to picking up the phone and saying “Your not in the plans. Sorry”. Great work ECB.

To end I am back onto the football and Pedro Mendes’ comments about refusing to acknowledge Ben Thatcher at tomorrows game. The “tackle” was serious enough to warrant the extended ban it got but on one hand shouldn’t Pedro forgive and forget? I think he is correct in what he has said and the best thing to do is to help your side win the game and not seek out Thatcher for retribution or anything of that kind.

For tomorrow: Come on you irons!

Well this is typed up at half time during the Newcastle vs. Birmingham match and with Newcastle away coming upon Saturday, I might as well post some of my half time thoughts that I have written down.

Newcastle look sluggish and tired. Glen Roader has stuck with the same side that started the match against Tottenham on Sunday so that looks to be the obvious reason for tiredness. But then again, what could Newcastle do? On the bench is a mixture of 16 and 19 year olds, as they do not have anyone else. This is obviously to West Hams advantage.

Newcastle have also been unsettled from crosses and balls into the area (West Ham’s BIG problems of the season) so it makes a refreshing change. Balls into the area for Cole to challenge for? More like Harewood the way things are going.

James Milner when on the ball has been Newcastle’s main outlet for runs down the wing and for taking players on. It might just be down to tactical reasons and that Sadler is playing but the over reliance of the first half hour showed no real penetration from midfield elsewhere.

James Patterson loves to get forward during normal play and twice he has been caught up field and out of position. West Ham will have to take advantage of this by obviously defending and then clearing the ball into that channel.

Lastly Martins when ever on the ball in and around the box has been closed down FAST! If West Ham are to get anything at all or even come away from St James Park with at least some dignity then this is vital!

Will do full time thoughts. But then again that’s “racism” on big brother so tempted to change between the two.

As promised to Liam, Yes I indeed am carrying Yossi Benayoun’s children after his goal line clearance in extra time (and his two goals) but even the joy of carrying children was very short lived as West Ham conceded a killer third goal to Fulham, which left the game at 3-3. A lot has been said and now here is my post-mortem of the game.

We cannot defend set plays and crosses (dur!). It is a problem West Ham have had for as long as I can remember but in three of the last four premiership games, we have conceded from crosses or balls into the area which are defendable. Gabbidon was not in line with the rest of his defence, giving more space for Fulham on the wing to get the ball in and score their second. Non-existent marking got Fulham their first and this is a massive problem for us. Alan Curbishley has had enough time to watch his players in training and match situations and he has to see that the current crop of defenders are in part low in confidence and for others not good enough. Collins injury to me is most likely the same one he carried into the game, just that it flared up. Gabbidon during the match was a blow but with Anton back, it looks like Dailly will partner him. No offence to football genius but he is not good enough. The lack of quality (second point to be made) among the squad is shocking and all of last seasons success now looks more and more like players riding the crest of a wave, hiding the real problem. What now? A commanding defender who is proven in top-flight football. A leader? Not the most essential quality because the quality of the player in doing the basics of defending is more important to me. Lucas Neil? Apart from his Mi**wall connection, yes please (depends on him though). No one really knows who else is available cause of managers contact each other obviously not the general public so it’s a case of wait and see but extra and particular focus has to be put on defending set pieces before we travel to Newcastle.

Second point, squad quality. I mentioned Dailly before and credit to him, he tries his hardest and gives his all but his all is not good enough to stay up. Shawn Newton (that’s another point there) is not good enough, Harewood? Down on confidence and whilst capable of providing a moment of quality (FA Cup Semi Final) it doesn’t look like he is up for it unless it’s a big four team. Konchesky? Nothing at all like he was at last year, absolutely shocking at times. When Curbishley came in to me it looked obvious that he was gone as the rumours of not getting along resurfaced and you have to ask yourself while Curbishley when at Charlton sold Konchesky to West Ham. This is not just a blanket slagging off of the side but either a massive shake up is needed or a large kick up the arse. The kick up the arse came at Reading and with the defending on Saturday, it has not worked.

Third point, the substitution of Gabbidon. Subbing him wasn’t the problem as he was injured and needed to come off, the thing that got me was Shawn Newton came on. Now Gabbidon was limping for a long time and Curbishley could easily see that was the case and had Shawn Newton on the side stripped and ready to come on. He had more then enough time to change his mind and bring on Hayden Mullins. Shawn Newton is short, as short as my mum is. Now slotting him in at right back and asking him to do what? Bomb down the wing? Fair enough when we are attacking but what about defending crosses, our achilles heel at the moment? No use at all. Guess what Fulham did? Put balls into the area.

Forth and final as I think I am beginning to sound a bit pretentious, it was an entertaining game but not one you can watch at the time and know which was it was to go. West Ham always play an open game which allows the other side to play but I felt we allowed Fulham at times too much time on the ball and too much space. I am losing the will to continue typing so I wont go further into that or type about Mr Poll.

Three small tidbits:

Might as well start off with one of the biggest news stories of the year so far (in football) and that is David Beckham's move to LA Galaxy. To repeat what has been typed and said elsewhere the amount being given to Beckham in his contract is an obscene amount of money and at the age of 31 to me it spells the end of Beckham at international level (if that was not obvious already) and the end of Beckham as a force in football around the world. Granted he will still be rich and famous but a move to America is more of a tie in to the Hollywood lifestyle and even bigger contracts for products, rather then footballing reasons. Granted he can still spray the ball around well and hit a great dead ball but he is not the biggest fish in a very small pond where only a few others have the potential to become world stars. Also at 31 and with a $250 million dollar contract, where is his motivation to play elsewhere and a suitor who is willing to stump up such an amount if he was to leave LA Galaxy? Good luck to him.

I read yesterday that Wenger will let Lauren leave the club. If West Ham was to get him then brilliant! His level of quality is something we desperately need but does he have the motivation and hunger for the fight? 29 years is not too old but the main selling point of a move to East London has to be the strength of future plans and money, rather then a wish from Lauren to play for the club where he stood on the North Bank as a kid ( ;) )

Is Mourinho being forced out of Chelsea? Well rumour is rampant across all the tabloids and I tend to believe that he is indeed being forced out. Roman Abramovich has already said Chelsea in the future should get by on its youth players and from recent comments from Jose about little to no investment in the January transfer window, it could be Roman’s way of forcing Jose out the door in the summer. Gus Hiddink has been mooted in recent days and Jose might not even be forced out but a club with the billions of Chelsea not investing? Something smells rotten in the state of Denmark.

Cheers and here’s to hoping we get three points against Fulham.

Sorry for neglecting the blog a bit, I promise I will now post more regularly now, seeing as my uni work for the 8th was all handed in and now I have the rest of the month to start background work and typing on my dissertation. But for now I will talk about, surprise surprise, West Ham.

(That’s another promise; I will start to talk about more general football issues after this one along with talking about West Ham.)

Since my last time, we have signed two players and won an FA Cup match at home to Brighton 3-0. In the first half both sides looked poor and there was not much to write back home about. The second half however saw West Ham step up a gear and play the way they are capable of and should have been playing much earlier in the season. Boa Morte directed play on the left and moved inside at time4s to great affect. Benayoun and Tevez on the right were brilliant. The link up play and feeding off one another was top notch and heartening to see going into the massive home game against Fulham. The icing on the cake though as Mark Nobel’s goal. Anyone that knows me will know how much I love the guy and the commitment he (and Tevez) put into the tackles and general play was the kind of leadership and guts we were missing when Reading stuck six past us.

In my last post I said:

“Nigel Quashie is another name that has been mentioned. Relegated a number of times and in the last two seasons for two different clubs. Beyond that I have seen him put in some good battling performances but he isn’t in my opinion of the quality we need to get ourselves out of the mess we are in.”

And I stick by it. He is another body to the squad and fits the Curbishley bill of leadership and experience but at £1.5 million (rising to £1.75 depending on survival/promotion) I think we have paid too much. The club is not exactly strapped for cash now but for me, £750,000 would have been fairer but that’s just splitting hairs. I wish him luck but just hope long term plans are not being made with Quashie as a focal point.

The transfer rumour mill has continued to spin with talk of Lauren and Freddie Ljungberg potential targets. Neither will happen in a million years and if they do I will… well I do not know what I would do but some of the talk about Joe Cole as well will never happen in a million years. Day ten of January and with two signings under Curbishleys belt, there have been no exits. Anton Ferdinand has been linked to Spurs and Newcastle, Reo-Coker’s agent linking him to any of the top clubs and Etherington was the rumoured makeweight in a deal for Boa Morte (one which proved to be untrue). Who knows what’s going to happen but one thing that’s for sure is Javier Mascherano will never again play in a claret and blue shirt. The two things he will be remembered the most for is for the way he will be considered a flop and to an extent he has been but not through fault of his own and for the “Comical nibble” from little shit Defoe. He wont play for Liverpool as the rumours go as that would be against FIFA ruling about playing for multiple clubs but he will never play for us again. Also as he has not played since Chesterfield in the Carling Cup, it would seem that time is also up on John Paintsil.

Who knows though? Its not as if I have been right all the time (or even once :P)

Double post. Sorry.

Harry Redknapp stated in an interview for Sky Sports News that he had spoken to Alan Curbishley yesterday (January 3rd) for an innocent chat and with regards to rumours about a Portsmouth bid for Yossi Benayoun, Harry said “The lads name never came up”. That might be true but apart from a general chitchat did any other players names come up? If that was the case then I feel it would be Portsmouth enquiring, rather then West Ham but as with a lot of transfer rumours it’s a lot of hot wind.

Speaking of Portsmouth, their takeover took place around this time in 2006 and the funds that Harry was given was used to bulk buy squad players at Tottenham and to finance loan players from abroad, most noticeably Andres D’Alessandro from Wolfsburg in Germany. He provided a lot of quality to Portsmouth and the creative spark they needed, that along with the new work ethic instilled by Harry’s return and some battling performances, Portsmouth survived that season. What I am getting at here is could the same now happen with West Ham? Could there be players on the continent that need a game and are willing to come to the Premiership? Is there a mid to top of the table side who has an enlarged squad that would not suffer with the loss of a squad player or two? Who knows but the Portsmouth modal of last season (the 2nd half anyway) I think is a good example to follow, however does Curbishley have the same experience as Harry in wheeling and dealing. Obviously he is not the same kind of man as Harry and Curbishleys buying record at Charlton is a bit hit and miss but now is the time to knock that on the head.

And to start is the reported bid (in the Sun) that West Ham has bid £9.8 million for Shawn Wright-Phillips. IF he were to come to Upton Park then at last we would have a genuine right-sided midfielder for the first time in a long time. However his interview after the Levski Sofia game in the Champions League back in November was one where he said he did not want to go and that he is loved at Chelsea and he loves being there. At the end of the Sun article is a rumour that Newcastle might offer SWP a six month loan deal which might be more appealing to Chelsea but neither the West Ham, nor Newcastle move will go through if Chelsea do not bring someone in as Joe Cole and Robben are both currently out injured.

The other names West Ham in recent days have been linked with are John Hartson and Mark Viduka. That certainly deals with Curbishleys words after the Reading defeat in which he said the West Ham squad need’s experience. However Viduka is a great finisher… when he can be bothered to get into a match and Hartson might well be playing at a level he is accustomed to and a move to a premiership club might come off bad for him and any club he signs for. Nigel Quashie is another name that has been mentioned. Relegated a number of times and in the last two seasons for two different clubs. Beyond that I have seen him out in some good battling performances but he isn’t in my opinion of the quality we need to get ourselves out of the mess we are in. Lucas Neil is out of contract in the summer but unless a move was for money, why would he come to a struggling club when reported interest from Liverpool and Barcelona (!) is never far away when his name is mentioned in the written press.

Watching Sky Sports News, Fulham were unveiling their new striker in Vincenzo Montella. but within the same report was news that Collins John had handed in a transfer request and that Fulham had already accepted a transfer offer from a fellow premiership club. Apart from the fact he is young and would not fit in with the previously mentioned “Experience needed” comments from Curbishley, he would be a quality signing for the Hammers. Still a diamond in the rough but with great finishes like the goal away to Middlesboro last season, he is capable of scoring but my feeling is that he might actually end up at either Wigan or Middlesboro, seeing as Massimo Maccarone wants to leave and Wigan are looking for another forward. Another player along with Neil who is out of contract in the summer is Sylvan Distan at Manchester City. Apart from being slightly error prone, he would be a quality signing for his defensive duties and his ability to head the ball etc. However in the press conference Stuart Pearce gave, he mentioned that Distain’s agents are happy with the contract on offer so you do have to wonder what the delay in that saga is.

So who else is out there and is realistic? Zoltan Gera at West Brom would be a good signing for me. Can play the right side of midfield and in the centre and in my opinion is underrated. Greg Halford is young and possibly available depending on what you read but that seems like a no go. Then there is Ashley Young at Watford. Today Boothroyd said that Young would not be leaving for now and when he does it would have to be a financial package for Watford future. Obviously Watford will not sell to a relegation rival when in the summer Watford could just as easily sell to a top of the table side. Checking out skysports.com to find correct spellings for players for this post, I have come across this:

http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=439249&CPID=21&clid=25&lid=&title=Prem+pair+put+on+Muntari+alert

article on Sulley Ali Muntari. From what I have seen he really does look like a quality player who could fit into the “Viera mold” so to speak. Interest is reported from Portsmouth and Boro so investigating this might not be in the worst interests of West Ham but once again it all depends on if a player wants to come to a struggling club so it looks very unlikely.

All in all no one apart from those involved really know who is available so we will just have to wait and see. Just hope this does not mean the likes of Matt Holland comes in.

(Sorry for being lazy with links to articles, as I say I am being lazy)

Manchester City came and went. A piss poor game that neither side deserved to win but City did. Can't say much more so will post the original post I created:

Hello there and a Happy New Year. There is only one thing I can really think of discussing is the away match from today. 6-0.

6 crosses and 6 goals, you have to feel sorry for Robert Green. He stood behind a leaky defence in Norwich’s premiership season but this takes the biscuit really. Such a poor performance that was riddled with mistakes and easy goals, you have to really worry.

But I am not. Sure we have been spanked 4-0 and 6-0 this season, gone out at the first hurdle in the UEFA and Carling Cups but if you let it get you down then, well you will be in a constant state of depression. The support was excellent today. The first half had banter between both sets of fans but most of it was between the Hammers and the East stand occupants. The second half and 4-0 down was a constant wall of sound with “We are West Ham’s Claret and Blue Army” for about 10-15minutes. Even when Reading scored their 5th goal the chant continued during and after the Reading fans had sat down (watch out for that one on MOTD). A hokey cokey, a conga line and a 6th goal later the fans started to turn on the players, booing every touch from a West Ham player for a while and a chant of “You’re not fit to wear the shirt”.

What now for West Ham? Well Pardew was sacked on the basis of poor performances and player attitudes so what’s the difference now? Well the January window is obviously open so now is the time to ship in and ship out players who Curbishley feels is not doing the job. But then again, is Curbishleys job safe? Up to you Eggy. Brighton at home on the 6th and a chance for squad players? Or maybe a wake up call for the likes of Harewood, Zamora and Gabbidon (who looks short of full fitness) that this will be the last game for them in a while.

As a West Ham fan, all you can do at times is laugh.

Its been a while since I typed something for this blog but hey, its Christmas. Got some decent presents etc blah blah. Got that out the way I can now type about some events that have taken place over the period. Firstly West Ham.

We played well in the first half against Fulham but then became nervous and Fulham started to gain the upper hand. Being in the stand behind the goal West Ham defended for the 2nd half gave me a great view of the “red card”. Konchesky won the ball and then Routledge went over. Shocking decision that was compounded by the linesman refusal to assist the ref and instruct him as to what happened. That was topped off with the news yesterday that the FA has rejected the appeal. Well at least McCartney will now start but on principle the red card should have been wiped clean. A point is better then none but you get the nagging feeling that we should have got a win in the face of an injury crisis at Fulham and players playing out of position. Oh well.

Then came Portsmouth.

I cannot add anything more beyond what has been said and typed on other websites but it was a very very poor first half performance. Such a change about from the Man Utd and Fulham games. The second half saw a massive improvement in commitment and defending but not enough for victory. Three big points dropped. Because of the bad results piling up, we need victory against Man City more then anything. The even bigger added pressure the losses have mounted on the shoulders of the players has increased after Boxing Day and now one point will basically be a disaster. My team would be:

Green

McCartney
Gabbidon
Ferdinand
Spector (Just about)

Etherington
Mullins
Mascherano
Benayoun

Sheringham
Tevez

Subs: Carroll, Collins, Bowyer, Harewood, Noble


But that’s just me. It would be a massive surprise to see Mascherano in the match day 16.

Now some tidbits. From reports the sacked former Hearts captain Steve Pressley has had a medical at Charlton. He would be a good signing for them and their new manager, the recently sacked West Ham manager Alan Pardew. Good luck to him in his new job (unless it hurts West Ham). Anyway, Charlton need a pick me up and players who will roll their sleeves up and get on with the job and Pressley fits the bill.

I just turned on BBC Ceefax as I was typing this and have read that Pressley has agreed to sign for Celtic. That’s a big blow to Charlton for the reasons I have already stated (well you could reverse them and say they need someone like I said).

Speaking of Hearts, the Scottish international Craig Gordon was dropped for a few games and excuses started to come out that insisted the decision was nothing to do with discipline matters relating to the statement that got Pressley sacked. Now as there is no proof nothing can be reported as fact but I am willing to wager that he was dropped as punishment for flanking Pressley, rather then tactical decisions. Great example to any club as to how you do not conduct yourself after a takeover.

Lastly, love him or hate him (and I choose hate) but Cristiano Ronaldo is on fire at the moment. The Mirror can forget the diving antics against the likes of Middlesborough but I wont. With so much talent comes a cheating streak. But the world is not black and white on this and the excuse of “being clever” is used. What is clever is his skill on the ball; the falling over at the drop of a hat is not.

Anyway a Happy New Year to the one person who reads this blog and a Happy Birthday… to me!

Well sorry for the inactivity, shopping and the like has put the breaks on having time to create a blog post. Good to see the matter between Chelsea and Everton has been resolved and that the thing is over. Would have made a very unnecessary legal battle, which would have resulted in negative press for both sides.

Tomorrow West Ham play away to Fulham. Officially there will be 5000 Hammers at Craven Cottage. Unofficially rumour has it at somewhere between 7000 and 9000! Would be great to see so many there as Fulham have advertised tickets for sale at 6 tickets at a time to anyone. On the pitch, Fulham have injuries to Boa Morte, John and Diop among others which really hurts them and means they will have to relay more on the squad. West Ham wont risk Gabbidon from the looks of it but Shawn Newton is back after the drugs ban. Curbishley will know him well from the time they spent together at Charlton but will that be enough to see him stay? Unsure really. Anyway tomorrow is a great opportunity with the problems Fulham have injury wise and West Ham coming off the back of a win against Man Utd for West Ham to get a win. Well because of the situation we have got ourselves into we have to win this one really. That extra pressure does not help.

One last thing, the Reo-Coker letter. The person who sent the letter (and if they meant it) has a screw loose. However what’s to stop me sending a letter to Chelsea warning Jose not to say anything bad about Everton again or he will be hurt and signing it from an Evertonian? Well apart from it being a criminal act when you send a letter threatening someone it is serious but with no evidence of who sent it, the blame cannot be laid on any set of fans.

Anyway to the one or two who read this Merry Christmas.

It’s taken a while to let it all sink in but yes, we did beat Man Utd on Sunday 1-0. I would have happily taken a loss as long as we played with commitment and passion but to steal a victory when our performance deserved a draw was unfathomable. When you’re team, the one that has been under so much pressure and is staring relegation in the face, scores the go 1-0, words cannot describe the jubilation and release of so much anguish. Hugging, jumping up and down and shouting as loud as you can. Those moments live with you and I for one am glad I was at Upton Park. Our win owed a big part to Robert Green. The 2nd half save from Ronaldo was very instinctive and strong to push the ball round the post. Collins, Anton, Spector and Konchesky looked a totally different animal then the one that whimpered and died at Bolton. At times they did back off Ronaldo and Giggs and Rooney when they had the ball at their feet’s but strong in the tackle and decisive in the pass made for great defensive work. The midfield however was a bit of a problem. Reo-Coker was making runs but Mullins was not as tight to Scholes as he should have been and that allowed Scholes time on the ball to play it where he wanted. Bowyer is not a natural width player so at times he kept drifting inside, leaving Spector exposed to balls over the top for Ronaldo to control and star this routine of step overs. Upfront, Zamora is shot of confidence and Harewood for all his challenging and hustle & bustle did not look like a man in form.

Enough of the negativity. The side played well as a collective unit. Some of the one touch football was crisp and full of confidence. Shame it took the sacking of a manager to get them going. To follow on from a point I made in my previous post, this is now the forth game against one of the big four sides that the side have upped their game. Shame the bread and butter matches of Reading and Wigan were losses. Fulham away is coming up this Saturday and me and my brother will be taking our seats (well standing in front of them) in the “Neutral End” with a bit more hope but my brother has not seen us win in person since Bradford at home in the last match of Sir Trevor Brooking’s second caretaker spell at the club and that was 2003!

Some other bits and pieces have been floating about. Arsenal have banned all national flags from their ground after one man flew a Turkish Cypriot flag at the Emirates stadium. I can perfectly understand why that particular flag was banned but to blanket ban all flags is a massive knee jerk reaction. Would be great to see one set of away fans at the Emirates wearing cross of St. George t-shirts.Also Everton have demanded an apology from Chelseaover Jose Mourinho's comments about Andy Johnson. Involve the police? Desperately sad to do that. All you have to do is discredit what he said and let people make their minds up.


Oh and one last thing:



Is the Santa suit lucky? We will see at Fulham.

Sorry that I have spent some time away from posting on the blog and what not but finishing off work before Christmas for Uni takes priority. Now that is out of the way I can get back to doing what I do… well best or worse, who knows? Anyway Chelsea in the days following the game with Arsenal, up to the Newcastle game and afterwards, someone must have been putting pound after pound into the meter at Stamford Bridge, as they became rent a quote. So many press releases from Jose, Terry, Lumplard all saying basically the same thing. “Points gap closing in”, “Man Utd can’t last”, “We are yet to hit our prime” over and over and over to the point it was getting boring.

Anyway West Ham has gone through another turbulent week. I was at my works Christmas dinner when I got a text from my good mate and fellow season ticket holder Adam that Pardew had been sacked. Well that took a shit right on my undercooked nut roast so after some frantic calling and consulting the internet on my phone, it was true and the nature of the way we had played in defeats to Wigan and away to Bolton was to blame, rather then Pardew himself. Curbishley came in and that itself has raised questions of its own. Is this a temporary measure to avoid relegation? Can Curbishley hack it at a bigger club? Will the players be shock up or will things mostly stay the same? Being honest, how am I meant to know? After seeing West Ham play the way they have this season (which was the way I was expecting us to play last season to a degree) I do not know what is going to happen now. So inconsistent but against the big teams in Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal we have played well. Man Utd for the nature of our position and the opposition is THE biggest game of the season bar none. Because of previous results we have to get at least one point from this but this extra pressure is something the players have heaped upon themselves and it is the players alone who must address this. It’s been a let down so far this season; Sunday is not the day to continue the way we have been playing.

It’s been a while since I mentioned Hearts but in the mean time, club captain Steve Presley has left the Scottish side by mutual consent. After being left out of the side for a string of games, he was allowed to go. The Save Hearts group might just be reforming.

But onto West Ham and we have a new manager in Alan Curbishley. That puts paid to the bit in my previous post about his employment. Anyway I wish him all the best and that leads to this Sundays match against Manchester United. When ever Man Utd come to Upton Park, the fans are really up for it but this game will be a bit more special. Reading the forums of KUMB.com and Westhamonline.net, people have been debating about a fitting tribute to Alan Pardew. The popular votes are to sing one last time for Pardew and to chant for Curbishley and say nothing on Pardew. Me personally I will chant for the new manager. I hold no grudge with Pardew but the guy has not died, despite the couple of “Pardew the legend” movies that have appeared on Youtube.com. Most likely a piss take though when you get bits like this from this movie:



I love that bit of the movie. Anyway, Nigel Reo-Coker today has said that he feels shocked by Pardews leaving and that people are unfairly blaming him for Pardew getting the sack. At least the opinions of some have got back to him. What our captain has said can be taken as one of two things. It is either a way to try and start positioning himself to leave the club by citing unrest and disharmony or it could be Reo-Coker trying to quell the unrest. I personally am very sceptical. He has mentioned unrest and used the line that people do not know what has taken place “behind closed doors”. It was put to me on the Waffleon forums that as club captain he is not in a position to mention any particulars. My response was to say that if a love triangle was taking place between one woman and two players then fair enough but to use a blanket expression like behind closed doors is a cop out in my opinion. If he was to say, “My form has not been much cop but I will do my best to improve it” or something along those lines then I would be placated. As said before the Bolton game, I have resisted the chance to insult the captain but his performances over the last couple of months and comments like this to the sun have put my nose out of joint.

Man Utd on Sunday…… Come on you Irons!

A post all about the weekend’s action and events (Quickly summing it up, two wonder goals from Matthew Taylor and Essien. Zara Phillips winning BBC Sports Personality of the Year wrongly in my opinion) has gone out the window with the news of Alan Pardews departure from West Ham.

It was wrong to dispense of Pardew. This seasons struggle was more to do with underpeforming players rather then a lack of tactical nouse. You can argue it is the manager’s job to motivate players but that lack of motivation was not present when we played Arsenal or Blackburn or even at the start of the season away to Liverpool. Something had obviously gone badly wrong and for me that is mostly down to the players. A number of who have let their egos inflate and play at a level that is unacceptable. A comfort zone. Last season was an unknown for some and an F.A Cup final followed. Could the likes of Reo-Coker and Konchesky have believed the hype and played the season with a negative attitude? Hypothetical of course but I can only type about what I have seen and from what I have seen, the players have let Pardew down.

What now? Alan Curbishley has been touted as the front-runner but I am not too sure. Eggert Magnusson has said he is a footballing man and that he loves English football etc. However, how much does he really know about Curbishley? Unless he has an adviser or one of the board members pipe up about Curbishley, I do not think he will become manager. Obviously that means on the continent. However who is out there as well?
The names that have been touted:

Hoddle? Hell no
Graham? No!
Sven? He has already distanced himself from the job.
O’Leary? No.

Funny enough, on KUMB.com on Sunday night I posted that Pardew should be given the season to turn things round. That is still my opinion now but he is no longer in charge so I say good luck to him and thank you for his time managing West Ham. He carried himself with a lot of dignity, especially today in his press statement after losing his job. I have posted about this on the two forums I visit so can't be arsed to go into this much more.

Oh and Stuart Pearce has a lot more respect from me regarding his comments about one of his players diving in the Manchester derby.

BBC's report of Pardews sacking. Some good qoutes from Julian Dicks and Lampard Snr.

A subject that has seemed to creep into media reports as of…. well today is the quote from Jose Mourinho to do with reserve sides. Jose said that reserve sides should play at a higher level, just like they do in Spain.

Since the first time I read that, Rafa Benitez and Arsene Wenger have both come out to support the idea. On the other hand, Birmingham chairman David Gold has come out against the proposed idea. Now an obvious point to make here is the three men who support the idea are obviously not English. Their experiences (particularly Rafa and Jose) are of European countries that do indeed follow this structure of professional reserve/feeder clubs. Now using Spain as an example, they have many sides (Barcelona “B”, Castilla etc) in division two and lower who are a breeding ground for youngster on the verge of the first team or squad players who are not getting a game. David Gold made a very good point in his argument against this reserve structure being implemented in this country. Gold said it is Chelsea’s fault that all their squad players cannot play in the first team and what is to stop Chelsea signing every single promising player in the country. Obviously not every single player would be on the books of Chelsea but I can see something along those lines happening. What’s to stop Chelsea signing Ashley Young, Kevin Doyle and Anton Ferdinand (as examples) for x amount of money and then sticking them in Chelsea “B”, to stop rivals having decent players and to have access to those players to call up for one or two games when needed and then drop them back down. However that also depends on the rules if this system is bought in. Teams in Spain have to register players for teams at the start of the season and then they can change this in January. Would that happen here or would it be a free flow of players between squads like we have now for first teams and reserve teams?

David Gold also made the point that the implementation of professional reserve sides would be disrespectful to the football league and he is correct. Chelsea and any other premiership club who make such a team are not going to accept a side starting off right at the bottom of the football pyramid, just like any other new club (AFC Wimbledon, FC United of Manchester) have had to play at. Shawn Wright Phillips and Obi Mikel in the league below the Rymans? Wont happen.

Going back to the point about signing up all the top players around, Barcelona is a good example here. Because they have a “B” and “C” side (the “C” side effectively a youth team) they could go out and splash the cash on promising players such as Maxi Lopez and Javier Saviola. The pair were either shipped off on loan or (in Lopez’s case) a cameo role in the champions league, were he scored against Chelsea. Is it a case of getting them to settle into the Spanish way of life before they fulfil their potentials or a case of signing them to stop Real Madrid getting their mitts on them? I don’t know but Seville is a winner out of this (having had Saviola on loan for a season or two). However having these professional reserve teams does have benefits like Mourinho has pointed out. Exposure to more competitive football can help develop a player. Recently it has helped Leo Messi. A product of the “C” and “B” side before making the step up to the full Barca side, he has stated before in interviews that playing regularly aided his development etc blah blah.

However I cannot get around the idea of seeing Chelsea “B” top the Championship but not being able to be promoted to the Premiership. Would make a hollow victory for the 2nd placed side gaining automatic promotion being “the top side”. Plus where do you fit these teams in? 46 games is plenty so what happens? Premiership “B”? If that was to happen, you know it would be so powerful and would have a TV deal tied in with Sky coverage and all that comes with so what then for the football league in that case? A downward spiral is what I predict. The top teams buy the best and those who aren’t the best at that moment in time play for the “B” side. The reserves would still be worth watching with such good players on display. Also with fixture build up (seeing as the G14 held UEFA to ransom over Champions League reforms) because of the increased amounts of games in European competitions, where do you put the reserve games in relation to those competitions? Also if say Reading have a “B” side and Reading proper get relegated from the Premiership and say Southampton get promoted and do not have a “B” side, do Reading “B” get relegated from the other Premiership? This is confusing and I do not see it working at all, as the whole nature of the football league would be at risk. Plus do you stage the games at the home grounds or the reserve grounds as they are at the moment? Most likely it would be as they’re at the moment but as said above, this whole idea I don’t agree with in principle. I would need to see a lot more to be swayed.

The other day I was told to just watch football and enjoy it, rather then speak my mind. How can you enjoy a game of football if you saw last nights game? Anyway:

I’ve slept on this to make sure I don’t post some knee jerk reaction to last nights “performance” against Wigan. The last time we played Wigan it was one of the worse performances from West Ham in the modern era. Last night, in the second half it was just as bad. For the first 20 minutes Wigan played the better football but from the 20th minute till half time, West Ham came back into the game and started to play some good football. That bought about a few boo’s from the crowd, which I felt was harsh. 0-0 at halftime is not the end of the world and obviously there is plenty of time in the game to win.

That did not prove to be the case. In the first 5minutes Tevez had a shot that hit the bottom of the post. The shot was at the centenary end and for the life of me I thought I saw the net ripple. That got me starting to celebrate a goal when in fact it had gone back out into the field without passing the goal line. That’s when Wigan scored. Counter attack, good finish and our heads dropped. James Collins was beaten way to easily by Kevin Kilbane and the other defenders were sold a dummy way to easily for Dave Cotterill to get a good shot in. Previously some of our players had not played particularly well and had given the ball away easily or been poor in their crossing but after going a goal down it got even worse for Nigel Reo-Coker, Paul Konchesky and Jonathan Spector. Speaking of Spector he cannot be held totally at fault for the own goal but the shot was going wide in the first place. The second goal was a dagger to the heart as our body language was terrible. We never looked like getting back into the game with 30 minutes to go. Speaking of going, that’s what half the crowd did. Those who stayed (me included) were left wondering why. We were short in the tackle, punting the ball long (which drew a chant of “On the floor” from the angered Bobby Moore Lower) and being beaten to headers. Also Wigan “scored” a third goal, which was ruled out for a foul or offside, I do not know and don’t care really. I ended up reading my match day program for a couple of minutes, as our performance was so turgid. It was all perfectly summed up by a Sheringham free kick that nearly made it into the Centenary Upper. The 200 or so Wigan fans did support their team throughout but they were mostly silent. Poor following from them. The last 3 minutes of the game bought about a couple of interesting chants. “Do-do-do Fuck off Reo-Coker” and a chant for Mark Noble.

I have resisted the temptation up till now to seriously Reo-Coker’s place in the team but that isn’t the case anymore. He needs a spell on the sidelines, to show him that he is droppable and that poor form will not be tolerated. He is fast becoming the Frank Lampard of our team (undropable, no matter the turgid performances) and Alan Pardew has to make sure a message is sent. Who should replace him if dropped? Mark Noble. Noble always commits 100% and could provide the forward runs from midfield that have been lacking at times. Plus he can pass to one of our team in the final 3rd. Also Paul Konchesky. His place looks to be saved for the moment seeing as Anton Ferdinand limped out of the game but if Anton was fit for this Saturday’s game away to Bolton then I would have liked to have seen George McCartney start. Every time I have seen McCartney play he has been good in the tackle, assured on the ball and like Konchesky, not afraid to go forward. Anyone else for the chop? For Bolton I really do feel we need to play defensively and get a draw. That’s a really sad thing to be typing but because of the situation we are in we need points, be they 1 or 3. My team would be:


Green (at no fault for the Wigan defeat)

Jonathan Spector (Shaky at times and needs to improve)
James Collins (Needs to be more assured in the tackle)
George McCartney (Has played well any time he had to fill in)
Paul Konchesky (Because we do not have another left back)

John Paintsil (If he is fit)
Lee Bowyer (Was on the bench Wednesday, need to add grit to midfield)
Hayden Mullins (Let Wigan filter through the midfield too easy)
Mark Noble (I am bias I admit but you have to give him a chance)
Matthew Etherington (Who else is going to play on the left?)

Marlon Harewood (Better at leading the line then Zamora)

Subs:
Carroll, Tevez, Reo-Coker, Benayoun, Dailly.

Tevez played all right against Wigan but I have dropped him to the bench for tactical reasons. Bolton away is tough so we need all the help we can get to get something out of this one.

One piece of good news, Shawn Newton will be back from suspension for the Fulham away game on the 23rd. Hurrah.

After Cristiano Ronaldo failed to stay on his feet and dived towin a penalty atthe weekend I was going to go on a "Its wrong. The world is black and white blah blah" kind of rant. I was on YouTube.com to find a movie of the dives but came across

This.